Cindy Flood Posted April 9, 2007 Share #1 Posted April 9, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) My M8 is one of the original 1500. It was purchased Nov. 6, 2007. It just came back from Solms two weeks ago tomorrow. I had one case of the lockup in early January. I was able to get it going again by putting in a fresh battery and re-inserting it a couple of times. Today I was shooting with my original battery. I have marked my batteries one, two and three and cycle through them. Battery one was almost finished when I started having problems. I can take a shot and see it on the screen. I can not play pictures back and can not access the menus with the set or menu buttons. I have put battery one on the charger and have tried both two and three with no luck. I now have no battery in the camera. Unfortunately, we are traveling and will not be back home until the end of the week, so I really can't do any troubleshooting. Any other advice? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 9, 2007 Posted April 9, 2007 Hi Cindy Flood, Take a look here Another M8 going down. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted April 9, 2007 Share #2 Posted April 9, 2007 A good chance leaving the battery out for a number of days will bring it back, Cindy. But even then I'd send it back to Solms, bypassing your local importer, with its batteries and charger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrc Posted April 9, 2007 Share #3 Posted April 9, 2007 There have been some suggestions here that it takes about four days for the internal battery to run down (if the camera is left turned on) and then everything resets. I'd just leave it until you get home, then charge batteries. I disagree about sending it to Solms. If you can bring it back on your own, do that first, and don't send it to Solms until the current run of fixes is done. I had a camera from the same batch as yours, and, in fact, I think I may have gotten it Nov. 6. Mine went down five weeks ago, and I got it back in just about exactly a month -- actually, I got a replacement, though I didn't expect one. Anyway, it takes long enough that it'd be worth while seeing if you can get a reset by running down the internal battery. I'm really beginning to think that it's unwise to run these camera low on juice. I'm going to start changing my batteries every 200 shots or so, just as a matter of course, like changing oil every 5,000 miles. JC Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted April 9, 2007 Share #4 Posted April 9, 2007 Do not send it back. Solms does not have the fix yet. Most likely the camera will be fine by the time it gets to Solms. They will just check it out and send it back to you without any repair. This is exactly what happened to my M8. Do as JC suggested. Leave the battery out and let the internal battery run out in 4 or 5 days. Then insert the battery and it will go through a cold start. Most likely it will be fine after that. Please report back what happens. Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy Flood Posted April 9, 2007 Author Share #5 Posted April 9, 2007 Right now it will no longer take a shot. The only thing that happens if I turn it on is that the red light blinks when the shutter is pressed. Do I take the battery out? I thought that I should leave it in and hope that it is not shutting off and will drain down. Once that happens, the backup battery will drain down and then there will be a reset when the battery is re-inserted. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted April 9, 2007 Share #6 Posted April 9, 2007 Cindy-- A couple other threads suggest that the battery may be the cause of the problem. That would mean that you should take the battery out and leave the camera for a day or two minimum. During that time you could recharge the battery and see if it behaves strangely, like showing full recharge after only 15 minutes on the charger. Those are my interpretations from what I've seen elsewhere on the forum. If someone else says I'm off base, accept their word. Right now, treat the camera and the battery as two separate issues and get the battery out of the camera. --HC Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
losta Posted April 9, 2007 Share #7 Posted April 9, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Since this seem to be a recurring issue I would think Leica would include something in the new firmware that would allow you to reset the camera manually through a series of button presses like you can reset a stuck ipod. It seems ridiculous that you need to send a $4800 camera on a 5 week journey for things like these. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #8 Posted April 9, 2007 Cindy take the battery out, since you can't get to any controls. You have SDS my dear , I'm sorry. You have a couple choices 1 send to Solms, not fun. You can try a three day let the camera internal battery completely drain out like someone else did but it took a couple days. If you send to Solms or NJ than contact me first. Leica would like to get there hands on this one also to test and fix like they have with Brents and mine. This could be the bad transistor but we are not sure of that but get that battery out , mark it and put it to the side. If you send in than send battery with it Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted April 9, 2007 Share #9 Posted April 9, 2007 Right now it will no longer take a shot. The only thing that happens if I turn it on is that the red light blinks when the shutter is pressed. Do I take the battery out? I thought that I should leave it in and hope that it is not shutting off and will drain down. Once that happens, the backup battery will drain down and then there will be a reset when the battery is re-inserted. Cindy, the internal battery is on all the time to power the clock etc. During normal operation, it is recharged by the external battery. It therefore discharges without the external battery, and should drain completely in a few days (2-4days according to another thread). By the way, which firmware was it running? 1.092? Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eronald Posted April 9, 2007 Share #10 Posted April 9, 2007 Cindy, the internal battery is on all the time to power the clock etc. During normal operation, it is recharged by the external battery. It therefore discharges without the external battery, and should drain completely in a few days (2-4days according to another thread). By the way, which firmware was it running? 1.092? Alan The main reason cameras should be sent in is that if they aren't Leica will continue to deny forever that they have a problem. The more cameras are sent in the more it's likely that they will finally sit up, take notice, and LOOK FOR THE PROBLEM rather than deny it. A company such as Leica has very scarce technical resources. Just a few really good guys who are usually working like hell on something important like polishing a new firmware version. It takes a real management decision to pull these guys from their crucial jobs and turn them loose on debugging a finished product. Edmund Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted April 9, 2007 Share #11 Posted April 9, 2007 There have been some suggestions here that it takes about four days for the internal battery to run down (if the camera is left turned on) and then everything resets. I'd just leave it until you get home, then charge batteries. I disagree about sending it to Solms. If you can bring it back on your own, do that first, and don't send it to Solms until the current run of fixes is done. I had a camera from the same batch as yours, and, in fact, I think I may have gotten it Nov. 6. Mine went down five weeks ago, and I got it back in just about exactly a month -- actually, I got a replacement, though I didn't expect one. Anyway, it takes long enough that it'd be worth while seeing if you can get a reset by running down the internal battery. I'm really beginning to think that it's unwise to run these camera low on juice. I'm going to start changing my batteries every 200 shots or so, just as a matter of course, like changing oil every 5,000 miles. JC I agree with John's suggestion about using fresh batteries as much as possible. The only lock up I had, which was about 10 days ago, with the camera stuck on the set screen and refusing to switch off, was also on a battery showing just one bar. I immediately put in a fresh battery together with my back-up 1.092 firmware SD card and re-loaded the firmware. This seems to have completely recovered the camera and (touch every piece of wood in sight) all is fine since. I also agree with Lisa that a hard reset option would be another good idea for Guy's next laundry list. Not a lot of help to you now I know Cindy but it might avoid the next lock up if your M8 recovers after a couple of days rest. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chetccox Posted April 9, 2007 Share #12 Posted April 9, 2007 The battery is not the problem. You may well recover the camera in a few days, but the same thing is going to happen again. The camera is defective and needs to go back to Solms. They need to be told to replace the insides, especially including that board with the suspect transistor. Batteries simply do not cause these problems. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #13 Posted April 9, 2007 Chet don't disagree and it is most likely the transitor has failed and may very well happen again. If she sends it back , i want her to send it too a certain person in Germany to get it on the workbench. They have several right now looking at this exact problem, this i know as fact. So it has been taken very seriously by them and in Brents M8 they found the transitor issue and for them they hit a pinpoint source that maybe the cause but also maybe a easy turnaround also if they know what to fix. The more we get these in the right hands the sooner this can be solved and everyone wants that. i would like to see though if a complete drain restarts it, it happened to one before it would be helpfull to know if it can restart Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted April 9, 2007 Share #14 Posted April 9, 2007 Chet don't disagree and it is most likely the transitor has failed and may very well happen again. If she sends it back , i want her to send it too a certain person in Germany to get it on the workbench. They have several right now looking at this exact problem, this i know as fact. So it has been taken very seriously by them and in Brents M8 they found the transitor issue and for them they hit a pinpoint source that maybe the cause but also maybe a easy turnaround also if they know what to fix. The more we get these in the right hands the sooner this can be solved and everyone wants that. i would like to see though if a complete drain restarts it, it happened to one before it would be helpfull to know if it can restart Guy, Do you think there are two types of lock up? The brief glitch, like I had, which seems to have been wholly cured by putting a fully charged new battery in (and in my case, I reloaded the firmware). Secondly the more serious variety like Cindy has had. Alternatively do you feel that type one is just the early signs of type two? Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #15 Posted April 9, 2007 Really hard to say but they both seem very related too. I know mine had both Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrogers Posted April 9, 2007 Share #16 Posted April 9, 2007 I'd bet on two kinds of lockup. When removing and replacing the battery brings the camera back, it could be hardware, but a firmware problem is more likely. When letting the internal battery drain fixes the camera, that could be hardware or firmware, but hardware seems more likely. If even that doesn't work, then it is very likely hardware. I'd grit my teeth, and send the camera into Guy's contact while it's under warranty. It may be a hardware defect that doesn't show itself again until you're paying for the fix. --clyde Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #17 Posted April 9, 2007 Jesko von Oeynhausen is in charge of Quality Insurance and that is who you want this to get in his hands ,since he knows all about this situation and can get it on the right bench to test. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted April 9, 2007 Share #18 Posted April 9, 2007 Jesko von Oeynhausen is in charge of Quality Insurance and that is who you want this to get in his hands ,since he knows all about this situation and can get it on the right bench to test. I still think we should wait and see if draining the internal battery recovers the camera first. The more information in the public domain the better. Cindy can send it in afterwards to make sure any needed hardware fix is installed. My bet is there is both a hardware and firmware issue. A hardware problem such as a bad transistor draining the battery or giving false low battery signal triggers the firmware bug. Alan Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted April 9, 2007 Share #19 Posted April 9, 2007 Mine had the brief glitch the other day as well where suddenly the preview screen wouldn't turn off. I got it to finally turn off with a few turns of the switch. At that point none of the upper functions (ie shutter, battery indicator) would work, though the back buttons would (play, menu, set , etc). I took the battery out and immediately re-inserted and everything was good to go again. Battery was one or two bars if I recall. Related or seperate? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted April 9, 2007 Share #20 Posted April 9, 2007 It's a seperate issue and what you need to do is do a reset of the camera. There has been a known bug where the battery indicator is not correct. What leica recommended was leave the camera on all night and drain the battery down (disable auto off in menu) than recharge the battery and than the camera will reset the indicator. What could have happened was your battery was lower than what was indicated and not enough juice to run the camera and taking it off and putting a fresh battery in just gets it going again. Now that bug was supposed to be fixed and running the beta software after 1.092 seems they have i have yet have this happen to me yet. So hopefully this was taken care of. no it is a seperate issue but not being a engineer working on this , it's hard to say if some of it is related. But right now they have identified the transitor for the SDS issue but i would imagine more testing is being done on all of that also to be absolutely sure of it. let's remember these German engineers are fanatics about getting things perfect and it does take some time. let's keep our fingers crossed Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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